Web sites:
The Forest Hermitage: our homepage.
Bhavana Dhamma: our sister property where guests stay and where the retreats are held.
Access to Insight: an amazing site.
Books of Ajahn Chah’s teachings on Access to Insight.
Blogs:
Vitakka Vicara (thanks for the nice post by the way).
‘Dhamma, Doubt and Mother Teresa’, by Bhante S. Dhammika. Important piece on the God subject.
Books.
If you want to buy a book on Buddhism look at these. Though remember not to read too much!
From Buddhist Texts:
In The Buddha’s Words; An anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon, by Bhikkhu Bodhi. If ever a book was to be designated the Buddhist Bible this could well be it. It is a crime not to own it. It’s worth it for Bhikkhu Bodhi’s pre-chapter essays alone.
The Life of the Buddha: Accoring to the Pali Canon. I love this book.
An Anthology of Suttas from the Anguttara Nikaya. People say that these are some of the most approachable suttas; they are mostly short - some being only a few lines.
If I was to be sent to a desert island and I was only allowed to take two books, I’d probably take ‘In the Buddha’s Words…’ and ‘The Life of the Buddha’ (and I’d hide an Ajahn Chah book inside one of them).
Meditation:
I’d definitely say don’t read too much about meditation: you’ve got to bake the cake and not just read the recipe. Having said that there is one book that I’d recommend. This one has been very helpful to many people, myself included:
Buddhist books of a general nature:
What the Buddha Taught. A reliable and reasonably short introduction covering all the cardinal teachings.
Buddhist Religions: A Historical Introduction. Some sound scholarship which, amongst other things, puts current Buddhist trends in perspective, including the origins of the corruption of the term ‘Sangha’.
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